Transformers Prime: Shattered Glass (Completed)

Chapter Eight

"I have a proposition for you, Megatron," Knockout read the message out loud as Ratchet silently followed along. They were nearly the same.

"I have something of my dimensional counterpart's, as I'm sure you know. If you want to keep them safe, contact the other dimension, and tell them to send the Decepticons' contact code over to us. Or, Optimus Prime will never see his human pets again. You have one hour to respond."

They were silent after that. Agent Bishop opened his mouth to say something but stopped and closed it again.

"...our message says the same thing," Ratchet finally whispered.

The heavy silence continued; both sides thinking of the scrap that could happen with both evil forces working together.

"We can't," Airachnid muttered eventually.

"We have to," Arcee snapped lightly. "Who knows what they could do to the kids?"

"Megatron wouldn't hurt them, would they?" Breakdown asked, before realizing Megatron was looking at him.

"Uh, your Megatron," he corrected.

"It is unclear what could happen if we refuse the offer, though, unfortunately, that seems to be the most likely course of action."

::Would your Optimus do the same thing?:: Bee asked, the first words he had said since they first made contact with each other. The other side was silent. He didn't have a voice, he warbled.

Their Bumblebee didn't talk that often, but when he did, his voice was thick with static and hard to make out.

::Did I say something?:: he asked, quickly becoming self-conscious when everyone was silent and looking at him.

Megatron shook his helm.

"What? No. You're fine. But...Optimus probably would. He...might, either way."

All optics (or eyes, in the humans' case) were on Optimus now, who only looked back at Megatron seriously. He knew the mech wasn't talking about him; he'd never harm a human. But it still hurt to think that he would do it so easily in another dimension.

"My son's life is at risk," Doctor Darby said, breaking the silence. "Your doppelgänger had better not lay a servo on him," he seethed.

"And what is he supposed to do about it? There is no 'telepathic link' to tell him that," Ratchet replied, quick to defend his leader and long-time friend.

"What do you think, Autobot?" Jason Darby replied, saying "Autobot" as if it were poison. "Let them have what they want."

June silently agreed, though she knew Jack probably wouldn't.

"Doctor Darby, more than your children's lives could be at risk," Knockout explained. "If both evil sides worked together, who knew what could happen? Both dimensions could be destroyed!"

Ratchet nodded in agreement.

"If Jack were here he'd say something like 'This is more important than the lives of six humans'," June muttered. "But...I can't bear to think that he could be killed by the Autobot he looks up to the most," she whispered. "Or his guardian."

Optimus and Arcee exchanged glances with each other before Arcee rested her servo on both June's shoulders.

"We'll get him back, June," she whispered, making the nurse look over at her and smile a little.

"Well then," Agent Fowler muttered. "Is that what we're going to do? Just let Megatron and Prime contact each other and watch both worlds burn?"

"Of course not!" Ratchet replied, giving the agent an "are you insane" look.